At the start of the International Motor Show, Economics Minister Habeck warned car manufacturers to invest more in future technologies. This is the only way to advance “the green transformation together”.
At the start of the International Motor Show (IAA), Economics Minister Robert Habeck warned manufacturers to do their part to strengthen the business location. “It is important for Germany as an industrial location to be at the forefront of global competition. It’s about the most innovative, best quality and most climate-friendly vehicles being built here,” said the Greens politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
“Forwarding green transformation together”
“This requires important strategic decisions and high investments in future technologies from battery cell production to software development. This is where the companies are in demand.” The federal government is supporting the auto industry with more than six billion euros from 2023 to 2026 alone.
Habeck pointed out that the federal government is ensuring secure supply chains with strategic settlements, for example in the area of chip and semiconductor production. “We are also pushing ahead with the expansion of renewable energies and making it easier for companies to use electricity directly from wind and solar parks,” he said. “In this way, we support the competitiveness of the entire vehicle industry and together drive the green and digital transformation in Germany.”
VDA criticizes Germany as a location
The President of the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), Hildegard Müller, had previously criticized the general conditions in Germany. Germany as a location is “no longer competitive,” said Müller on Deutschlandfunk on Monday. This has to do with high energy costs, with taxes, levies and levies and the bureaucracy in this country. “Other regions are passing us.”
This year’s International Motor Show (IAA) in Munich will be officially opened to the public by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz today. The main topics of this year’s IAA are climate protection, sustainable mobility and sustainable drives as well as digitization, as announced by VDA President Müller. Around 700,000 visitors are expected by Sunday.